Join The Chamber

1. That the recent economic downturn offers significant growth opportunity for family vacation and outdoor recreational destinations in close proximity to larger centre’s – like the serene lake country of the Pigeon Lake Region
2. That ‘a day at the lake is worth a month in town’ which offers visitors the opportunity to escape from the pressures of city living, recharge their batteries and create priceless family memories in the Pigeon Lake Region
3. That the close proximity of the Pigeon Lake Region to larger centre’s has the potential to draw in countless new visitors for day visits, weekend retreats and extended vacations – many of whom will become our new neighbours
4. That the Pigeon Lake Region is uniquely positioned to draw visitors from one of the busiest north-south corridors in Western Canada – the QEII
5. That all businesses (large and small) will benefit from increased tourist traffic in the Pigeon Lake Region. Whether in the front lines of delivery tourism services or providing complementary or support services to visitors, more customers can only be a good thing. Even residential support services like plumbing, electrical, building supplies and developers stand to benefit from the positive long term effect of increased tourist traffic – as many visitors become new neighbours and chose to build or renovatePigeon Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce Page: 2
6. That now, as the economy moves into a recovery phase, is the ideal time to position local business for future opportunity and growth from the tourism sector
7. That the old adage ‘Build It and They Will Come’ is only part of the equation for future business success. Public awareness and appeal of the region’s many services and attractions must also be achieved through branding and broad marketing and advertising campaigns to complete the equation
8. That the Pigeon Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce is embarking on a creative new marketing initiative in 2010 that will help establish the Pigeon Lake Region as a vacation destination of choice in Central Alberta – for Albertans and visitors from outside of the Province.
9. That now is the time to get in on the ground floor and join the Regional Chamber of Commerce in becoming a partner in this exciting new web and publication-based initiative.

Why consider becoming part of the Pigeon Lake Chamber of Commerce?
As a business owner, these are a few of the reasons for joining and maintaining active involvement with the Pigeon Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce. We believe that you will find these to be beneficial to your business. By investing in your local Chamber of Commerce you invest in your own prosperity-both as a businessperson and as a member of the community.

Raising The Profile Of Your Business & What You Do

1.  Partnerships with Travel Alberta.
   The Marketing Task Force for the Pigeon Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce is working on developing a partnership and marketing plan with several key groups including Travel Alberta, which will be pivotal in putting the Pigeon Lake Region on the map as a vacation destination of choice in Central Alberta. We feel it is essential for you and your colleagues to join forces with us while we are at ground level, and come along as we move forward with this plan.
2.  Website Exposure.
   If you don’t already have your own website,
   this is essential! How people find us has changed, and having a picture of your business along with a profile of what you do is paramount! When you join the Chamber you will be able to submit a picture of your choice to represent your business, along with a brief description of the services or products you offer plus contact information, and have this posted on the Pigeon Lake Chamber website. This website gets thousands of hits every month (e.g. 15,000 website hits in July 2009 – one month’s exposure). Internet exposure should be a priority for all businesses. 
3. Networking.
   Meeting new people and businesses and sharing with them aspects of what you do is a big part of what happens when you join a Chamber of Commerce. This has become an essential part of growing the profile of each member’s business. You know the old adage – ‘you tell two people and they tell two people and so on and so on... ‘ - word of mouth works and the Chamber helps extend that word of mouth concept. Be prepared to profile your business at a general meeting once you join, to start this process of networking. 

4. Marketing Training.
   We are currently working on initiatives to bring Travel Alberta to our area, to conduct various marketing workshops for our members. As a business owner, it can be daunting if marketing is not your area of expertise. As a Chamber, we are working to bring tools to our members to help us learn how to grow our own businesses, and think outside the box.
   
   

   Value added programs for your business Plus Community Involvement

   
   Be part of a vibrant organization that strives to promote & support local businesses and thereby strengthen the economic health of our community
   Be part of an organization that helps young people by promoting excellence in our schools. We offer financial awards to students in Buck Mountain Central School & Pigeon Lake High School for strong academic achievement.
   Be part of an organization that participates in fund-raisers for worthwhile causes.
   Contact the Chamber for more information. There are many reasons to join the Pigeon Lake Regional Chamber Of Commerce, but the biggest reason is to

   GAIN EXPOSURE FOR YOUR BUSINESS

   You can download the following forms on the right to gain more insight as to the benefits of joining and all application forms are here for you to complete and return back to the Chamber Office either in person or by fax. You can pay your dues either in person or by mail or you can fax or phone your credit card info to Darlene at the Chamber office.